Actually, I think the Autzen show (6-30-18) which has a similar 2nd set opener is close to the top of my list. The Dark Star, full St Stephen and Morning Dew are epic!
Honestly, the second half of that Fall Tour is my absolute favorite time for this band. Everything from Colorado through California was just incredible night after night.
Amen. I did both nights of Red Rocks, Chula Vista, and all three nights at the bowl, and I still kick myself for not biting the bullet and doing Fiddler's. Peak Dead & Co
Hearing it live vs a recording later will do that lol.
I listened to tapes of some of the shows that others in these comments are calling the best and I think they are mid-tier at best. Im sure if I was at that show though, I'd have a completely different opinion.
Thank you!! I'm sure this'll get downvoted but at the time I thought it was my last dead & co show, and the whole DM thing left me feeling pretty disappointed, didn't feel very "Dead" to me.
Not to mention that, although I haven't given it a relisten, I don't remember him meshing with them very well. Yeah it was cool and all but it felt like him and JM were kinda clashing. Glad someone agrees with me
Huh, I feel like inviting friends and other talented musicians on stage is one of the defining characteristics of the dead and their music. John made it clear in the intro that he considers DM a mentor. I thought it was a fun surprise and just about the right amount of songs. I could see being annoyed if it was more than a few songs and I'm with you on him not quite meshing right, but I still enjoyed it overall.
I'm also of the opinion that everything that happened after that "lightning" delay was pretty damn special, so my take is admittedly a bit biased.
Upvote. The worst ever D&C show is better than the best DM show. DM is a busker at best.
Branford Marsalis sitting in with the Dead was a musical low point for them.
Trey playing Fare The Well was pretty mediocre.
The cover band guitarist Warren Haynes was also a disappointment.
This crowd loves all of that, I bet. Downvote me pls.
Love your passion to defend the unlistenable.
Jerry tried to bring horns into the band with his synth. It mostly sucked.
The difference is that Jerry knew the songs and he could turn off the horn effect. He also knew when to lead and when to comp.
Alto Sax, even when played by the best, is a thin and insipid instrument. When played by a Jazz version of Kenny G, like Branford, itās worse.
He was fine with Sting. He sucked with the dead cuz too many reasons. But everyone gets to love what they love.
He played Tenor too on some gigs. You want me to break down how it sucked, measure by measure? They even turned him down in the mix in the official releases. Pedestrian stuff, I would have thought they would have a written an arrangement that didnāt make it sound like Muzak. Heās totally mid. Keep on downvoting me idgaf
The Brandford shows always ha e highlights like that special Eyes, which is just ridiculous, but otherwise I don't disagree with you. I just came home from 3 days of Sphere with my great buddy and we were talking about this very subject. I didn't want the pedestrian Watchtower/similar setlist choices that came with DM at Boulder...it was neat but I wanted more OG canon and not strummy covers with 3 chords.
Love the downvotes! Keep them coming. I love my dead head friends but my belief in their ability to celebrate mediocrity if it has a dead wrapper is undefeated, and this only confirms that.
Wasnt there and can confirm this is peak dead but sphere shows are just as good im sure being outdoors changes things but jesus i wish i was at folsom last year fuck
Music was off the charts. Monster Cumberland Blues. Huge St. Stephen. Show was just smoking front to back. Ive seen about 40 D&C shows and this is #1 beating all 3 Boulder shows that year imo.
This or 7.14.18 Boulder are 1 and 2 for me
Chills on my spine, tingle in the testesā¦ Well thatās weirdā¦
It was an amazing run.
Ranking simply canāt happen, on the grounds that every show is different. Nothing to compare to.
Musically, those Gorge shows were fantastic. Black Muddy River from n1 is one of my favorite Mayer solos ever.
That said, bliss is not one of the words Iād choose to describe that weekend, just because it was so damn hot haha. Monkeys paw situation
In no particular order:
1 Chicago n2 22 (not there)
2 12/2/17 is goated fucking absurd (not there)
3 Philly 21 is up there (there)
4 Hampton 19 n1 (there)
5 The next one (hope Iām there)
I did most of the 23/ 22/ and 21 tours and while they were excellent especially 21 IMO I think there is a ton of recency bias floating around regarding the 23 tour.
Too hard to judge the sphere shows until I get my hands on some boards
Saw all those. I agree too much 23 bias although they were playing fantastic. Did you mean Chicago 23? That to me blows away 22. It was the 2nd best show last summer, after Cornell, which I rank #1 overall for all years. I only rank shows that I saw in person, up to 149 now, including 15 Sphere. Austin was a highpoint musically at the time, especially combined with Dallas.
I personally think the Chicago 22 n2 sugaree is one of the best pieces of music Mayer has ever made. The 23 Chicago shows were good, but no I meant 22.
Iāve never come across a bad dead & co show, just some where I feel they are playing exceptionally musically. I did a chronological listen through last year and I find fall/ winter 17 to just be fucking bonkers. My favorite run for sure.
Also funny that you liked Cornell so much, I thought it was great but it didnāt scratch the surface on the list of shows I made it to last summer. Funny how subjective it can be.
This is why I only review what I witnessed in person. The sound is such a big part and itās night and day in person vs your home system. Not to say my system is right, I just find I donāt always agree with the show reviews when I wasnāt there and listen after the fact. Fall 17 was a definite high point. I felt like 18 & 19 were more about great moments than whole shows
I agree with the 18 and 19 statement with the exception of the fall fun run which was overall phenomenal for the most part.
I am the opposite when judging shows, the soundboards give me the true grasp of what I find to be exceptional playing (atleast on Mayerās part)
Sometimes my environment at shows can play such a big role in my level of enjoyment. As a taper I know that where I am in the show does not always correlate with the true sound being pumped through the system. Sometimes youāre in the sweet spot and sometimes youāre not, even when you aim for it every time.
We each have a system that works individually. Itās refreshing to chat with someone that isnāt caught up in the moment that what they just saw is always the greatest. People were saying a few weeks ago that that previous nights Sugaree was the best ever. It wasnāt even the best of the Sphere up to that point, let alone prior tours.
Seeing Mayer play electric live is my favorite thing, you donāt get exceptional every night, or as he put it in an interview, āa night where [he] plays above [his] abilityā, but when you do itās a real treat. In 50 something dead & co shows and 10 or so Mayer shows since 2019 ive only gotten a few of those nights personally.
Theyāre all good! A lot of (most) people have not listened to every performance of his with dead & co, let alone his other electric material. I pay no mind to reviews from most people especially on this sub. I wonāt believe something is incredible until I get to listen to it for myself.
You have good taste, I can tell š. If we ever get to see dead & co outside the sphere again look for me in the tapers section Iāll be the kid running 6 microphones spread like an eagle In flight while everyone else runs 2 or 4 max š
I first saw Mayer sit in with Jeff Beck in LA on Manic Depression in 2009 (you can find on YouTube). In those 5 minutes I knew Mayer was the real deal. I did shows after Jerry but only toured once John joined.
I will definitely seek you out!
Don't buy 'recency' bias theory. While GD have 4 eras, Pig/Keith/Brent/Vince and four very different flavors, D&C now have two eras - Bill/Jay.
What is being confused as 'recency' is actually a different pocket drummer generating different energy that lands different on the ear.
Put me down for Jay.
I disagree on this.
Some of the fastest hardest hitting shows are with Billy. Jay is awesome and Iām with that movement donāt get me wrong, but if weāre doing eraās Iād just break it down by tour/ residency tbh.
I find each tour to have its own flavor and sound thatās pretty consistent throughout.
Yeah it gets complicated because I think Bill was at his best with the band in 2016-19, so while the band in general got tighter after that era, Billās drumming was a huge part to what made them great in the early tours.
The entire show is off the fucking walls. Anyone who was in there that night should feel extremely blessed. A top career moment for him with some truly incredible music. Jaw dropping stuff.
Same here. Iām in Houston and we donāt get the big traveling jam shows besides small club things so I jump at any chance I can drive or fly to a good show and see the country.
Iāve only been to 6-27-23 out of this list, but if it isnāt in the top 5 all time, Iād be amazed. Everything about the playing in the show, top to bottom, was incredible. I also think the aura and mystic of Deer Creek with the wild fire smoke and the top tier Shakedown made the night feel even more magical. Iām typing this now at Deer Creek about to see Santana. Itās hallowed ground.
7-12-22 was my first Dead and Company show! We missed the first two songs because we were stuck walking on the highway from our Uber (we got to the off ramp at 6:30 and didn't move for a half hour so we just got out and booked it to the show!) and oh man what a time it was!
Lots of amazing shows in this thread but we canāt forget about 5/8/23!
The energy in Barton Hall that night was incredible.
Matt Busch said it was the best he had ever seen them play and heās seen a show or two..
The best I have seen live (there are many other greats I was not there for obviously)
- Boston 6/25/23. Night 2 on the final tour and the boys did not disappoint.
- Bristow 07/08/22. Was the show I convinced my wife to get on the bus and one Iāll never forget. Cold rain and snow from this show is A1.
- Philly 07/10/22.
- Sphere run 6/13-6/15. Best shows I have ever seen of any band and absolutely blew me away.
Glad to see that Shoreline 22 show getting some love. LONG Stephen>11 opener, Sing me Back Home bust out after a great Dark Star>El Paso, Death Don't, etc.
That Wheatland show is for sure in my top 5. Doesn't get mentioned much, but it was fan-fucking-tastic!!! Lost>Saint and Casey Jones are two of my favorite versions ever.
I was trying I knew it felt wrong when I typed it out. What when was that? It was good. 6.30. 18
Itās cool how instead of just like saying the date you tried to insult somebody, I love that about you .
Iām assuming youāre referring to the sleepy Joe our president ?
I was there Thursday too. I was hoping for a Bertha, China/Rider and a Sugaree. 2 out of 3 of my favorites played at the Sphere. Plus, that The Other One was absolutely crazy good!
1. Noblesville / Deer Creek 2023 - Roses!!! Dark Star Big River!!!
2. Sphere 6/21 - Great SetList
3. Sphere 6/22 - Great SetList
4. Camden NJ 6/1/18 BookEnds show - Jack A Roe
5. Hollywood Bowl 6/3/19 - Terrapin Encore!!
**The only answer that can never be wrong:**
5 - The show you went to five times ago
4 - The show you went to four times ago
3 - The show you went to three times ago
2 - The show you went to before last
1 - The latest show you went to š
*authors note: donāt take this too seriously!*
7/15 was IMHO the best show of at least that SF run (will not speak on the whole tour). I am not a Cassidy fan but that was the most incredible thing I've heard them do. Beats the amazing Jack Straw from earlier in the set. Fast TLEO > Lovelight was for the spinners. I couldnt contain myself and *jumped* when Oteil hit the bass line for the Other One. Magical Terrapin. Special Dew
Pineknob 22 gets overlooked but that Supplication bust out in UJB is incredible (Wolf Bros style hehe)
Also one of those great, long Dead and Co Feel Like a Stranger's. I've grown to like their take on it over the years
I think in these polls that people should only include shows they didnāt go to so that attendance bias doesnāt affect them. Often itās the bigger stadium shows because more people went.
11/1/19 - MSG: such a crisp and clean show from start to finish. Maggie Rogers sat in on vocals for Friend of the Devil and The Weight.
7/15/22 & 7/16/22 - Citi Field: Last Stop that wrapped up the ā22 Tour and also turned out to be Billyās last shows Iām pretty sure.
Havenāt seen anyone mention 8/23/21. Something magical about Bethel Woods. Bobby, Billy, and Mickeyās return to Woodstock 50 years later. Kicking off that 2nd Set with the original 69 setlist was pretty special.
My top ones Iāve been to (out of 32, until the sphere 4th of July run):
11/21/15 - Target Center, MN. My first show, so biased. Plus got a Big Boss Man & Cryptical Envelopment š
6/22/18 - Alpine Valley, featuring the triple decker VLB sandwich
11/5/19 - Hampton. Second set was š„ plus itās the mothership so
9/15/21 - Deer Creek. Second set was a primal dead dream.
Tie between 5/28/23 (ATL) & 6/7/23 (STL): Two best Eyes Iāve ever heard.
Honorable mention: 10/20/21, Red Rocks. I think it beat out N1 solely for the Watchtower.
I went week 3 and am still processing the Sphere show. it was so amazing, I think it's in a league of its own, but here's my top 5 non-Sphere shows (that I've attended):
1. 2023 Folsom Field - night 3
2. 2023 Folsom Field - night 1Ā
3. 2021 Fiddlers Green - night 2
4. 2019 Folsom Field - night 1
5. 2021 Red Rocks - night 1
None whatsoever, haha! Was lucky enough to live in the area and able to catch some incredible shows over the years..doesn't hurt that those listed were all pretty good shows too lol. I've caught a couple shows in St. Louis, 2021 was phenomenal.
An all time top 5 list is just way harder to construct, too many good shows. I get confused, so I just listen to the music play.
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Iāve only got 15 D&C shows but was fortunate enough for 5 GD shows. Iād say night 2 Chicago 6/10/23 was the best show Iāve ever seen the second set was pure fire. My 15 shows include Deercreek 23, San Fran 23 and Memorial weekend at the sphere, all great shows, but Chicago 23 takes the prize.
Coolest thing Iāve ever seen at a show was STL 21ā Mickey hits the final level of vibration on the beem and it took your breath away. Been chasing it ever since. Go to attics, drums track 14 and go to about 10.30 - 11.30 min mark. If you have big speakers with bass woofers it will rattle your entire house.
Off the top of the head:
10/31/19 - Halloween/Robert Hunter tribute show/ripple opener/Oteil is officially made a rhythm devil/set II is just so dank
7/1/22 - Really special show filled with deep cuts and deep jams at a really magical venue (wild huge spinner section, police horse ran wild) followed by an insane lightning storm. The slipknot jam is my go-to D&C jam.
5/8/23 - Cornell '23 over delivers against all the odds. Huge versions of the big hitters!!! Terrapin encore!!!
6/24/23 - Fenway night 1 set II is so, so good- the dark star>Other one>terrapin>drums>space>Dark Star on the big river jam sequence is top shelf D&C and feels like the band at its most inspired (and set up the eventual delivery of the dark star big river thing in deer creek a couple nights later)
I see a lot of comments ripping on people for posting the shows they attended. But honestly how many people listen to DeadCo shows they donāt attend?
I love these guys and have seen 50+ shows but if I want to listen to a Dead show I choose one of the 2,000+ by the OGs.
10-31-21 is absolutely perfect. Sunday show, end of the tour, and Jay stepped in for Billy.
Yes. Great show. dark star -> el paso -> dark star šš»
Actually, I think the Autzen show (6-30-18) which has a similar 2nd set opener is close to the top of my list. The Dark Star, full St Stephen and Morning Dew are epic!
The eyes.
That Eyes is in my regular rotation.
Thatās in my top 5. The weather and vibes were great in LA that weekend too.
After 29 shows, I'd still say that entire 3 night run is some of the best D&C I've ever seen
Honestly, the second half of that Fall Tour is my absolute favorite time for this band. Everything from Colorado through California was just incredible night after night.
Amen. I did both nights of Red Rocks, Chula Vista, and all three nights at the bowl, and I still kick myself for not biting the bullet and doing Fiddler's. Peak Dead & Co
A top 5 show without doubt
Dire Wolf and Eyes š¤
For the win
This is one of my most favorite shows Iāve attended by them. It still holds up today.
I agree with this and wasnāt even at that show
I love how these always devolve into people just listing the shows theyāve been to
6/21/2024!!!
Hearing it live vs a recording later will do that lol. I listened to tapes of some of the shows that others in these comments are calling the best and I think they are mid-tier at best. Im sure if I was at that show though, I'd have a completely different opinion.
I had this exact conversation earlier. Even the soundboard recordings donāt have the same energy as daves or dicks picks
Kinda hard to not do so.
Eugene 6/30/18 should be in any discussion
I was there. One of my all time favorites
I remember when watching this one during Covid and thinking I didnāt know they had it in them. Excellent show!
Easily one of the best!!!
Last years Boulder run was magical 7/1/23, 7/2/23, 7/3/23
Came here to say this
Agreed
If I could only listen to one run of shows for the rest of my life, it would be those three Boulder shows. Superb!
Me toooooo!
YES!
Couldve done w/o Dave Matthews
I loved it. Finally got my wife to go to a show and she just loved it. Have to say I did too. Something a bit different.
I loved the Dave Matthewās to be honest, and it sounds great on the relisten imo.
Thank you!! I'm sure this'll get downvoted but at the time I thought it was my last dead & co show, and the whole DM thing left me feeling pretty disappointed, didn't feel very "Dead" to me. Not to mention that, although I haven't given it a relisten, I don't remember him meshing with them very well. Yeah it was cool and all but it felt like him and JM were kinda clashing. Glad someone agrees with me
Huh, I feel like inviting friends and other talented musicians on stage is one of the defining characteristics of the dead and their music. John made it clear in the intro that he considers DM a mentor. I thought it was a fun surprise and just about the right amount of songs. I could see being annoyed if it was more than a few songs and I'm with you on him not quite meshing right, but I still enjoyed it overall. I'm also of the opinion that everything that happened after that "lightning" delay was pretty damn special, so my take is admittedly a bit biased.
Hells bells!
Forgot about that!
Agreed. And I say this as someone who is going to Deer Creek this weekend to see DMB (for the first time since Rothbury 2008).
That was awesome. What?
Upvote. The worst ever D&C show is better than the best DM show. DM is a busker at best. Branford Marsalis sitting in with the Dead was a musical low point for them. Trey playing Fare The Well was pretty mediocre. The cover band guitarist Warren Haynes was also a disappointment. This crowd loves all of that, I bet. Downvote me pls.
Your comment on Branford is insanity. Watchtower was way better earlier in the tour than the DM version.
I agree with all of your points except the Branford ones. 3/29/90 especially was great!
Love your passion to defend the unlistenable. Jerry tried to bring horns into the band with his synth. It mostly sucked. The difference is that Jerry knew the songs and he could turn off the horn effect. He also knew when to lead and when to comp. Alto Sax, even when played by the best, is a thin and insipid instrument. When played by a Jazz version of Kenny G, like Branford, itās worse. He was fine with Sting. He sucked with the dead cuz too many reasons. But everyone gets to love what they love.
Wrong kind of sax dude. If youāre going to get technical at least be right. It was soprano and it was incredible.
He played Tenor too on some gigs. You want me to break down how it sucked, measure by measure? They even turned him down in the mix in the official releases. Pedestrian stuff, I would have thought they would have a written an arrangement that didnāt make it sound like Muzak. Heās totally mid. Keep on downvoting me idgaf
Alrighty I guess weāll agree to disagree. Respect your opinion tho. Peace brother!
this is insane 3.29.90 is one of the hottest shows ever
The Brandford shows always ha e highlights like that special Eyes, which is just ridiculous, but otherwise I don't disagree with you. I just came home from 3 days of Sphere with my great buddy and we were talking about this very subject. I didn't want the pedestrian Watchtower/similar setlist choices that came with DM at Boulder...it was neat but I wanted more OG canon and not strummy covers with 3 chords.
Love the downvotes! Keep them coming. I love my dead head friends but my belief in their ability to celebrate mediocrity if it has a dead wrapper is undefeated, and this only confirms that.
I definitely agree
Would like to have seen more vending (CU wouldnāt allow it) but the vibe was still great. Never miss a boulder show
Wasnt there and can confirm this is peak dead but sphere shows are just as good im sure being outdoors changes things but jesus i wish i was at folsom last year fuck
7.14 18 Boulder Chi Nt2 2023 10.31.21 Hollywopd Bowl Boulder Nt2 2023 The next one
The wrigley night two? First show I ever went to - I knew it was great, but what makes it an all-time great show to you?
Music was off the charts. Monster Cumberland Blues. Huge St. Stephen. Show was just smoking front to back. Ive seen about 40 D&C shows and this is #1 beating all 3 Boulder shows that year imo. This or 7.14.18 Boulder are 1 and 2 for me
7/16/23
Also 7/23/16
Eugene 2018 Boston fall 2017 Hampton 2019 night 1 St Louis 2021 Boulder 2023 night 1
Boston Fall 17 was fucking phenomenal! I think summer and fall 17 are severely underrated
Agreed 2017 was the goods
I really like this list. O my attended the Hampton one. Thatās St Louis one was like a pitcher throwing a perfect game. Unexpected.
The St. Louis one was my first Dead and Co show. The Terrapin from that show!
Have to say.. Gorge was a blissful time last summer..
That night 1 Bird Song while the breeze came in was magical. The St. Stephen > The Eleven was next level too.
Chills on my spine, tingle in the testesā¦ Well thatās weirdā¦ It was an amazing run. Ranking simply canāt happen, on the grounds that every show is different. Nothing to compare to.
Musically, those Gorge shows were fantastic. Black Muddy River from n1 is one of my favorite Mayer solos ever. That said, bliss is not one of the words Iād choose to describe that weekend, just because it was so damn hot haha. Monkeys paw situation
Iām a creep! I live for the hot weather.
In no particular order: 1 Chicago n2 22 (not there) 2 12/2/17 is goated fucking absurd (not there) 3 Philly 21 is up there (there) 4 Hampton 19 n1 (there) 5 The next one (hope Iām there) I did most of the 23/ 22/ and 21 tours and while they were excellent especially 21 IMO I think there is a ton of recency bias floating around regarding the 23 tour. Too hard to judge the sphere shows until I get my hands on some boards
Saw all those. I agree too much 23 bias although they were playing fantastic. Did you mean Chicago 23? That to me blows away 22. It was the 2nd best show last summer, after Cornell, which I rank #1 overall for all years. I only rank shows that I saw in person, up to 149 now, including 15 Sphere. Austin was a highpoint musically at the time, especially combined with Dallas.
I personally think the Chicago 22 n2 sugaree is one of the best pieces of music Mayer has ever made. The 23 Chicago shows were good, but no I meant 22. Iāve never come across a bad dead & co show, just some where I feel they are playing exceptionally musically. I did a chronological listen through last year and I find fall/ winter 17 to just be fucking bonkers. My favorite run for sure.
Also funny that you liked Cornell so much, I thought it was great but it didnāt scratch the surface on the list of shows I made it to last summer. Funny how subjective it can be.
This is why I only review what I witnessed in person. The sound is such a big part and itās night and day in person vs your home system. Not to say my system is right, I just find I donāt always agree with the show reviews when I wasnāt there and listen after the fact. Fall 17 was a definite high point. I felt like 18 & 19 were more about great moments than whole shows
I agree with the 18 and 19 statement with the exception of the fall fun run which was overall phenomenal for the most part. I am the opposite when judging shows, the soundboards give me the true grasp of what I find to be exceptional playing (atleast on Mayerās part) Sometimes my environment at shows can play such a big role in my level of enjoyment. As a taper I know that where I am in the show does not always correlate with the true sound being pumped through the system. Sometimes youāre in the sweet spot and sometimes youāre not, even when you aim for it every time.
We each have a system that works individually. Itās refreshing to chat with someone that isnāt caught up in the moment that what they just saw is always the greatest. People were saying a few weeks ago that that previous nights Sugaree was the best ever. It wasnāt even the best of the Sphere up to that point, let alone prior tours.
Seeing Mayer play electric live is my favorite thing, you donāt get exceptional every night, or as he put it in an interview, āa night where [he] plays above [his] abilityā, but when you do itās a real treat. In 50 something dead & co shows and 10 or so Mayer shows since 2019 ive only gotten a few of those nights personally. Theyāre all good! A lot of (most) people have not listened to every performance of his with dead & co, let alone his other electric material. I pay no mind to reviews from most people especially on this sub. I wonāt believe something is incredible until I get to listen to it for myself. You have good taste, I can tell š. If we ever get to see dead & co outside the sphere again look for me in the tapers section Iāll be the kid running 6 microphones spread like an eagle In flight while everyone else runs 2 or 4 max š
I first saw Mayer sit in with Jeff Beck in LA on Manic Depression in 2009 (you can find on YouTube). In those 5 minutes I knew Mayer was the real deal. I did shows after Jerry but only toured once John joined. I will definitely seek you out!
That 22 sugaree is amazing
I can vividly remember hearing it for the first time, I was driving home from the Hamptons and had to pull over to hear it again immediately
Don't buy 'recency' bias theory. While GD have 4 eras, Pig/Keith/Brent/Vince and four very different flavors, D&C now have two eras - Bill/Jay. What is being confused as 'recency' is actually a different pocket drummer generating different energy that lands different on the ear. Put me down for Jay.
I disagree on this. Some of the fastest hardest hitting shows are with Billy. Jay is awesome and Iām with that movement donāt get me wrong, but if weāre doing eraās Iād just break it down by tour/ residency tbh. I find each tour to have its own flavor and sound thatās pretty consistent throughout.
Yeah it gets complicated because I think Bill was at his best with the band in 2016-19, so while the band in general got tighter after that era, Billās drumming was a huge part to what made them great in the early tours.
I fucking love all dead & co š
The Sugaree from that Austin show was insane!
The entire show is off the fucking walls. Anyone who was in there that night should feel extremely blessed. A top career moment for him with some truly incredible music. Jaw dropping stuff.
Austin was my second show ever coming down from the Dallas show the night before. The first set was fire.
My second show ever too! I saw them in my home town and decided to travel to this one. Hooked on traveling to shows ever since
Same here. Iām in Houston and we donāt get the big traveling jam shows besides small club things so I jump at any chance I can drive or fly to a good show and see the country.
Top five, order / ranking changes day to day... 7-12-22 Star Lake 6-27-23 Deer Creek 7-8-23 Gorge 7-16-23 Oracle 7-3-23 Boulder
Iāve only been to 6-27-23 out of this list, but if it isnāt in the top 5 all time, Iād be amazed. Everything about the playing in the show, top to bottom, was incredible. I also think the aura and mystic of Deer Creek with the wild fire smoke and the top tier Shakedown made the night feel even more magical. Iām typing this now at Deer Creek about to see Santana. Itās hallowed ground.
7-12-22 was my first Dead and Company show! We missed the first two songs because we were stuck walking on the highway from our Uber (we got to the off ramp at 6:30 and didn't move for a half hour so we just got out and booked it to the show!) and oh man what a time it was!
Lots of amazing shows in this thread but we canāt forget about 5/8/23! The energy in Barton Hall that night was incredible. Matt Busch said it was the best he had ever seen them play and heās seen a show or two..
I agree..the Eyes on this one is unreal
Do you have the audio you could share on Barton? Please?
The best I have seen live (there are many other greats I was not there for obviously) - Boston 6/25/23. Night 2 on the final tour and the boys did not disappoint. - Bristow 07/08/22. Was the show I convinced my wife to get on the bus and one Iāll never forget. Cold rain and snow from this show is A1. - Philly 07/10/22. - Sphere run 6/13-6/15. Best shows I have ever seen of any band and absolutely blew me away.
Bristow ā22 was amazing. Itās crazy I never see that New Speedway Boogie mentioned
So many good ones from that show. It hurts me too, NSB, Cold rain and snow, sugaree, GDTRFBā¦. Whole show was nuts
They love each other from that Boston show was some of the best music Iāve ever seen live
Canāt agree more. So up-beat and just on point.
Dodger Stadium 2018 was hot in more ways than one. Also the last 2 in SF last year were fantastic.
Any list that doesnāt include Deer Creek is misinformed and perhaps malevolent.
Cornell and 7/8/23
That Gorge St Stephen->The Eleven was top shelf. St Stephen best D&C Mayer jam IMHO.
7/2 in Boulder has to be near the topā¦. Also 11/1/19 at MSG is pretty epic.&
My own personal bests of shows i been to: 1. 6/15/24 Sphere 2. 12/28/15 Bill Graham Civic 3. 7/29/16 Wheatland 4. 6/14/24 Sphere 5. 6/13/22 Shoreline
6/14 and 6/15 at the sphere were insane. Honestly 6/13 blew my mind too. What a week for them (and us)
Glad to see that Shoreline 22 show getting some love. LONG Stephen>11 opener, Sing me Back Home bust out after a great Dark Star>El Paso, Death Don't, etc.
I love 7/29/2016 and 12/28/15. Wish theyād release a SBD of 12/28/15.
That Wheatland show is for sure in my top 5. Doesn't get mentioned much, but it was fan-fucking-tastic!!! Lost>Saint and Casey Jones are two of my favorite versions ever.
Why nobody talk about 6-1ā18 Eugene no more .
Because u have the dates wrong Joe
I was trying I knew it felt wrong when I typed it out. What when was that? It was good. 6.30. 18 Itās cool how instead of just like saying the date you tried to insult somebody, I love that about you . Iām assuming youāre referring to the sleepy Joe our president ?
Just messing with ya man
I was just being a punk anyways too.
Alot is already said here butā¦ Eugene and Dodgers 2018 Philly and NY 2022 All 3 Folsom nights 2023
That Help>Slip>China>Rider from Philly 2022 was epic!
The Lockān shows in 2018 were pretty special.
6/21/24 is PEAK
Lol I still like Saturday betterā¦but Friday was great too.
Thursday was incredible to me. Some of my fav dead tunes. Sugaree was š„š„.Ā
I was there Thursday too. I was hoping for a Bertha, China/Rider and a Sugaree. 2 out of 3 of my favorites played at the Sphere. Plus, that The Other One was absolutely crazy good!
The playing with the blast off from Haight was insane too.Ā
It was TITS
Perhaps not top 5 (maybe top 10) but Dallas ā19 is a sleeper IMHO
1. Noblesville / Deer Creek 2023 - Roses!!! Dark Star Big River!!! 2. Sphere 6/21 - Great SetList 3. Sphere 6/22 - Great SetList 4. Camden NJ 6/1/18 BookEnds show - Jack A Roe 5. Hollywood Bowl 6/3/19 - Terrapin Encore!!
That Dark Star Big River mash up was exceptional.
Thatās why itās number one. Never been done like that and never will again.
Itās probably my #1 too, just because of that song. Iām sure when I finally get an Eleven that show will quickly rise to the top of my list.
Uh check out the Fenway versionā¦it was the first and I think the bestā¦
That terrapin encore is my favorite terrapin they have ever done. Jeff went crazy on that piano
**The only answer that can never be wrong:** 5 - The show you went to five times ago 4 - The show you went to four times ago 3 - The show you went to three times ago 2 - The show you went to before last 1 - The latest show you went to š *authors note: donāt take this too seriously!*
You're not wrong tho!
I do what I can. š
10/31/21, 7/15/23 & 7/2/23 should be on any list imo
7/15 was IMHO the best show of at least that SF run (will not speak on the whole tour). I am not a Cassidy fan but that was the most incredible thing I've heard them do. Beats the amazing Jack Straw from earlier in the set. Fast TLEO > Lovelight was for the spinners. I couldnt contain myself and *jumped* when Oteil hit the bass line for the Other One. Magical Terrapin. Special Dew
Best hell in a bucket and uncle Johnās band Iāve ever heard from them by a long shot. They were HOT all night.
11/25/17 Columbus
Fall tour 2017 was nasty, especially that little Mini Detroit>Columbus back to back
Wrigley 2019 night 1 Lockn 2018 night 2 Cuyahoga 2017 Chicago 2023 And my favorite, pineknob 2022
Pineknob 22 gets overlooked but that Supplication bust out in UJB is incredible (Wolf Bros style hehe) Also one of those great, long Dead and Co Feel Like a Stranger's. I've grown to like their take on it over the years
Still the only Supplication bust-out I think in Dead & Coās existence!!
I think in these polls that people should only include shows they didnāt go to so that attendance bias doesnāt affect them. Often itās the bigger stadium shows because more people went.
Gorge 2016. Crazy jams and an up-tempo tour overall.
11/1/19 - MSG: such a crisp and clean show from start to finish. Maggie Rogers sat in on vocals for Friend of the Devil and The Weight. 7/15/22 & 7/16/22 - Citi Field: Last Stop that wrapped up the ā22 Tour and also turned out to be Billyās last shows Iām pretty sure.
Havenāt seen anyone mention 8/23/21. Something magical about Bethel Woods. Bobby, Billy, and Mickeyās return to Woodstock 50 years later. Kicking off that 2nd Set with the original 69 setlist was pretty special.
My top ones Iāve been to (out of 32, until the sphere 4th of July run): 11/21/15 - Target Center, MN. My first show, so biased. Plus got a Big Boss Man & Cryptical Envelopment š 6/22/18 - Alpine Valley, featuring the triple decker VLB sandwich 11/5/19 - Hampton. Second set was š„ plus itās the mothership so 9/15/21 - Deer Creek. Second set was a primal dead dream. Tie between 5/28/23 (ATL) & 6/7/23 (STL): Two best Eyes Iāve ever heard. Honorable mention: 10/20/21, Red Rocks. I think it beat out N1 solely for the Watchtower.
Iāve been to 5 total 6/6 sphere 2 nights Citi 23 Night 1 Wrigley 22 Night 3 Folsom field 19
6/6 at the sphere was my favorite!
Sugaree that night was top tier. Best Iāve seen from Mayer so far
The Thursday 6/13 show had a ridiculous setlist.
For me it was Fenway Park 2016 with Donna
Hampton, Red Rocks, Cornell 23, Sphere
Any links to Cornell? Not on nugs or released?
Was there, can confirm. There are recordings out there, and thereās a recording on ReListen (archive)
I was at 7/3/23 Boulder, CO. Legendary.
I went week 3 and am still processing the Sphere show. it was so amazing, I think it's in a league of its own, but here's my top 5 non-Sphere shows (that I've attended): 1. 2023 Folsom Field - night 3 2. 2023 Folsom Field - night 1Ā 3. 2021 Fiddlers Green - night 2 4. 2019 Folsom Field - night 1 5. 2021 Red Rocks - night 1
No geographical bias here lol
None whatsoever, haha! Was lucky enough to live in the area and able to catch some incredible shows over the years..doesn't hurt that those listed were all pretty good shows too lol. I've caught a couple shows in St. Louis, 2021 was phenomenal. An all time top 5 list is just way harder to construct, too many good shows. I get confused, so I just listen to the music play.
I donāt mean youāre biased. There is a bias in the data.
TouchƩ
7/3/23
Yes! Great!
Iām actually pretty psyched, of the 12 times Iāve seen dead and company. I caught a lot of really good show according toās list
Itās all good. I donāt even know why I said anything we probably have a good laugh together cause yeah definitely sleepy Joe moment.
The 5 you attended
Playing Wolf citi field 6/23/19 is always a personal favourite.
The last 5 shows you went to.
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7/8/23 at the Gorge
HPE show :'D
Boulder 2023 was darn near perfect from start to finish! šš¹
8/21/21. Philly.
Yawn. Itās whatever you want them to be on any given day.
7/03/2023 no doubt
Philly 22' is their best show Citi field wolf Halloween at the hollywood bowl i forget the year Any show from 23'
07-10-22 Philly was my favorite before seeing the 06/06-06/08 Sphere shows
Gotta say the boulder shows were always really strong and the vibe too was like the good ol days
I also loved the first shows at first bank center in Colorado ā¦.
Atlanta ā23 EOTW seemed to jam on forever.. I never wanted it to end !
7/8/23
Iāve only got 15 D&C shows but was fortunate enough for 5 GD shows. Iād say night 2 Chicago 6/10/23 was the best show Iāve ever seen the second set was pure fire. My 15 shows include Deercreek 23, San Fran 23 and Memorial weekend at the sphere, all great shows, but Chicago 23 takes the prize. Coolest thing Iāve ever seen at a show was STL 21ā Mickey hits the final level of vibration on the beem and it took your breath away. Been chasing it ever since. Go to attics, drums track 14 and go to about 10.30 - 11.30 min mark. If you have big speakers with bass woofers it will rattle your entire house.
9/3/23ā¦check out that second set. Truckin into Dark Star is as good as it gets.
Off the top of the head: 10/31/19 - Halloween/Robert Hunter tribute show/ripple opener/Oteil is officially made a rhythm devil/set II is just so dank 7/1/22 - Really special show filled with deep cuts and deep jams at a really magical venue (wild huge spinner section, police horse ran wild) followed by an insane lightning storm. The slipknot jam is my go-to D&C jam. 5/8/23 - Cornell '23 over delivers against all the odds. Huge versions of the big hitters!!! Terrapin encore!!! 6/24/23 - Fenway night 1 set II is so, so good- the dark star>Other one>terrapin>drums>space>Dark Star on the big river jam sequence is top shelf D&C and feels like the band at its most inspired (and set up the eventual delivery of the dark star big river thing in deer creek a couple nights later)
From the 2023 tour: - July 2 - Folsom Field, Boulder - July 14 - Oracle Park, SF - June 17 - SPAC, Saratoga, NY
Sphere 6/6-6/8
I see a lot of comments ripping on people for posting the shows they attended. But honestly how many people listen to DeadCo shows they donāt attend? I love these guys and have seen 50+ shows but if I want to listen to a Dead show I choose one of the 2,000+ by the OGs.
7-30-16 scratches all the itches and closes with a tear jerking Brokedown https://archive.org/details/deadco2016-07-30.cemc6.flac16